Closure means for a container with an opening



May 17, 1966 A. R. RAUSING ETAL 3,251,499

CLOSURE MEANS FOR A CONTAINER WITH .AN OPENING Filed June 28, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR S Anders Ruben RausmJ Rolf Lennart IgneLL BYPMW, va gavx /wm ATTORNEY May 17, 1966 A. R. RAUSING ETAL 3,251,499

CLOSURE MEANS FOR A CONTAINER WITH AN OPENING Filed June 28, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

INVENTOR s Anders Ruben Revs/n Rolf Lennar'i; IgneLL 734M, JW 89 1%ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,251,499 CLOSURE MEANS FOR A CONTAINERWITH AN OPENING Anders Ruben Rausing, Simontorps Sateri, and RolfLennart Ignell, Lund, Sweden; said Ignell assignor to said Rausing FiledJune 28, 1965, Ser. No. 467,643 Claims priority, applicationSwitzerland, July 2, 1964,

' 8,687/ 64 Claims. (Cl. 215-47) This invention relates to packaging andparticularly to a container with a closure means. The invention can beapplied to several kinds of containers having an opening adapted to beclosed.

In order to provide a closure means which is easy to tear open andwhichwhen having been torn open has satisfying pouring qualities for thecontents of the container, this invention provides a closure means for acontainer with an opening, e.g. a bottle, including an inwardly turnedlip established in the region of the container opening and a cap havinga lid portion and a tubular plug portion, said plug portion at its endremote from said lid portion being provided with a flange, either thecontainer, at least in the region of its opening, or the cap or bothbeing elastic, the tubular plug portion of the cap being insertable intothe opening of the container, thereby to press the said lid portionagainst the top or shoulder of the container and to cause an edge of thelip to engage said flange, the said elastic properties being utilizedfor effecting a tight seal between said edge and said flange,characterized by the cap being provided with a frangible portion, alongwhich the lid portion is removable, and by means for retaining thetubular plug portion in the opening of the container when the'lidportion has been removed.

Further features of the invention will be apparent from the followingembodiment described with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a container with a closuremeans;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the embodying the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a portion of FIG. 2 on a larger scale.

With reference now to the drawing the improved package according to theillustrated embodiment, comprises the bottle 1 with its cap 2. The topor shoulder of the bottle adjacent the opening is shaped in a specialway to obtain a completely tight seal. The bottle top or shouldertogether with the cap is accordingly included in the concept of closuremeans." The shape of said closure means will be apparent from FIG. 2showing a section through the same. The shoulder or top of the bottleextends inwardly towards the center of the bottle-opening and downwardlytowards the bottle bottom forming a lip 6. The bottle, or at least thelip 6, is most advantageously made of an elastic material, erg. aplastic, the resilient properties of which ,being utilized. Therealization of this will be apparent from the following. The lip 6presents a sharp edge 7 towards the bottom.

The cap 2 consists of two main portions: a lid portion 3 and a tubularplug portion 5 connected to each other closure means by a frangibleportion 12. 'Even the cap 2 is most advantageously made of elasticmaterial, said lid portion thereby creating a cap spring and saidtubular plug portion a tube'spring. The tubular plug portion is .at itsbottom end provided with a flange 8 having a bevel 9. Between saidflange 8 and said lid portion 3 there is an additional flange 10.Furthermore a groove 11 is proat its lower end. Between the flanges 8and is a recess 1 surfaces defining such opening. By pushing downwardlyat the center of the lid portion 3 by a'device not shown, the tubularplug portion 5 is inserted into the opening of the .bottle to engage theinclined lip '6. Meanwhile the cap spring, i.e. the lid portion 3, willbe stressed. As lip 6 is pushed further and further aside by entry ofthe bevel 9, the flange 8 will eventually entirely pass the lip 6,whereupon the lip 6 will then snap over the flange 8.

The lid portion 3, the total diameter of which is somewhat larger thanthe diameter of the top portion of the bottle, has a little earlier comeinto contact with the bottle. The point of contact is in FIG. 3indicated by number 13. Thus, the last phase of inserting is, besides byfriction counteracted by two forces, viz, the force between the lip 6and the bevel 9 and the compressive force between the lid portion 3 andthe bottle 1 and must be increased tending to tension the cap springstill more. When the lip 6 has snapped back into the recess between thetwo flanges 8 and 10, the container is closed. The edge 7 engages theupper surface of the flange 8- in the corner defined by the neck portionof the tubular plug portion 5 and the upper surface of the flange 8. Acompletely tight seal is maintained by three forces, viz the springforces of the lip 6; the plug portion 5; and the lid portion 3. 1fpressure prevails within the package, as is the case when the fillingmaterial consists of an aerated liquid, the tightness of the closure isfurther increased. This is due to the fact that a pressure on the innersurface of the lid portion will arise effecting an upward force on thetubular plug portion amplifying the force between said edge 7 and saidflange 8. The engagement of the lid portion at 13 also protects theopening from contamination.

The tearing open of the package will be carried out in the followingway. Through seizing the handle 4 and pulling it upwards, if the pullingforce is great enough,

the lid portion 3 will be torn off from the tubular plug portion 5 alongsaid frangible portion 12. The rupture occurs at the narrowest part ofthe frangible portion 12 substantially avoiding burrs in the rupturesurface. On the other hand, the tubular plug portion will remain in theopening of the container, as removal of this portion is prevented by theflanges 8 and 10. Due to the fact that the portion 5 remains in theopening this will provide an attractive appearance because the sharpedge 7 is concealed, and the package will have good-pouring qualities,because the contents of the package when dispensed does not follow theinwardly turned lip 6 and the outside of the package wall 1. The rupturein the frangible portion 12 between the lid portion 3 and the tubularplug portion 5 will function as a pouring edge for the contents of thepackage which preferably consists of a liquid. Moreover the flange It)prevents the tubular plug portion from dropping into the interior of thecontainer when the lid portion has been removed.

We claim:

1. In combination with a container having a circular opening in theupper end thereof surrounded by a shoulder and an inwardly extendinglip, a cap for said opening comprising a lid portion engaging saidshoulder and a tubular, integral plug portion extending intosaidopening, said plug portion having a first flange adjacent to thelower 'end thereof which'is of greater outer diameter than the innerdiameter of said lip and is positioned below said lip with its uppersurface engaging said lip, said plug portion having a'second flange ofgreater outer diameter than the inner diameter of said lip spaced fromsaid first flange by a first annular recess and positioned above saidlip, said plug portion having a second annular recess between saidsecond flange and said lid portion which eX- itends inwardly beyond thesurface of said first recess defining a frangible portion between saidlid portion and said plug portion, at least one of said container andsaid cap being elastic and the vertical distance between the uppersurface of said first flange and the lower surface of said lid portionin unstressed condition being less than the vertical distance betweensaid shoulder and said lip whereby said lid portion is held tightlyengaged with said shoulder.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said lip extendsinwardly and downwardly and is elastic and in which said lid portion iselastic.

-3. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said first flange hasan inwardly and downwardly inclined outer surface.

4. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said plug portion iselastic.

5. A combination as defined in claim l in which said lid portionincludes a tab whereby said lid portion can be 5 detached from said plugportion at said frangible portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GEORGE O.RALSTON, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Examiner.

20 D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CONTAINER HAVING A CIRCULAR OPENING IN THEUPPER END THEREOF SURROUNDED BY A SHOULDER AND AN INWARDLY EXTENDINGLIP, A CAP FOR SAID OPENING COMPRISING A LID PORTION ENGAGING SAIDSHOULDER AND A TUBULAR, INTEGRAL PLUG PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAIDOPENING, SAID PLUG PORTION HAVING A FIRST FLANGE ADJACENT TO THE LOWEREND THEREOF WHICH IS NO GREATER OUTER DIAMETER THAN THE INNER DIAMETEROF SAID LIP AND IS POSITIONED BELOW SAID LIP WITH ITS UPPER SURFACEENGAGING SAID LIP, SAID PLUG PORTION HAVING A SECOND FLANGE OF GREATEROUTER DIAMETER THAN THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID LIP SPACED FROM SAIDFIRST FLANGE BY A FIRST ANNULAR RECESS AND POSITIONED ABOVE SAID LIP,SAID PLUG PORTION HAVING A SECOND ANNULAR RECESS BETWEEN SAID SECONDFLANGE AND SAID LIP PORTION WHICH EXTENDS INWARDLY BEYOND THE SURFACE OFSAID FIRST RECESS DEFINING A FRANGIBLE PORTION BETWEEN SAID LID PORTIONAND SAID PLUG PORTION, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CONTAINER AND SAID CAP BEINGELASTIC AND THE VERTICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAIDFIRST FLANGE AND THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID LID PORTION IN UNSTRESSEDCONDITION BEING LESS THAN THE VERTICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SHOULDERAND SAID LIP WHEREBY SAID LID PORTION IS HELD TIGHTLY ENGAGED WITH SAIDSHOULDER.